Dr Andrew Parker

Senior Lecturer

Who am I?

Who am I?

I am essentially a cognitive psychologist with an interest in the neural basis of cognitive processes. In this context I am primarily interested in the use of experimental methods and in my research I employ a range of these to investigating memory.

From a broader perspective, I am a socialist and believe in a fairer distribution of wealth and a form of principled government that can be only delivered by Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party.

Why do I teach?

I teach because one thing that I enjoy is reading and research. In addition, I like to tell students about my own personal “discoveries” into the research literature and beyond. I enjoy explaining (often-complex) ideas to students and enabling individuals to appreciate the value of experimentation and scientific research. Typically, I find that explaining information to students helps me to understand information and see problems that I did not realise existed.

How I’ll teach you

Typically my lectures and sessions with students involve a mix of activities that include the following:

(i). Providing a general set of frameworks, ideas andstructures from which students can make sense of an often bewildering range ofexperimental findings,

(ii). Explaining how findings can and do relate to theory andhypotheses,

(iii). Giving concrete everyday examples where appropriate,

(iv). Making use of a range of “Test-Yourself” exercises thatinvite students to actively make use of knowledge in the form of data-responsequestions, discussions or video activities.

Teaching & Research Supervision

Why study Memory and Cognitive Processes?

How we learn and retain information about ourselves and the world has, for me, been a long-term fascination. In many respects, memory occupies a central place in the study of cognition and forms the foundation of our own character (e.g., autobiographical memory), our knowledge of the world (e.g., factual semantic memory), our ability to conjure up and relive past experiences (e.g., episodic memory) and our capacity to interact with the world based on pasts experience without even knowing this (e.g., implicit memory). These facets and dimensions of memory, together with the errors we often make when attempting to recover information (e.g., false memory) make the whole topic colourful and fascinating because of the sheer range of ideas and findings that illuminate who we are and how we work.

Postgraduate teaching

Postgraduate supervision (completed/in progress)

In general, current projects encompass the following:

Directed forgetting

Autobiographical memory

Eye movements & memory

Research Expertise, Publications & Grants

Research expertise

My main research interests are primarily related to experimental psychology and employ traditional research methods for the analysis of human cognition and behaviour. I am a core member of the Research Institute for Health and Social Change (RIHSC) at MMU. My current research interests include:

Explicit & implicit memory

The effects of eye movements on memory retrieval

Directed forgetting & retrieval inhibition

Autobiographical memory

False memory

Visual aspects of memory in relation to dynamic visual noise

The cognitive neuroscience of memory

My work on the effects of eye movements on memory retrieval has been widely recognised globally in both academic circles and in the popular press and lifestyle magazines.